Northrop affirms plan for 500 jobs

CEO emphasizes commitment to city, donates $25K

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

By SHELBY G. SPIRES

Times Aerospace Writer shelbys@htimes.com

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s chief executive was in Huntsville this morning to underscore the giant defense contractor's commitment to Huntsville by donating $25,000 to local the local chamber of commerce and a technical society.

Dr. Ronald D. Sugar, Northrop's president, CEO and chairman, reconfirmed that the company plans to add 500 missile defense jobs here over the next five years.

A key, $4.5 billion, eight-year missile defense contract, announced in December, should bring the work to Huntsville, Sugar said during a news conference at The Heritage Club on Washington Street.

"We also are here this morning to give back to this community that supports us so well," Sugar said.

Sugar presented a $15,000 check to the Huntsville Associations Technical Societies for use in Alabama education programs. The money builds on a $15,000 donation made in 2003, Sugar said.

The company also gave $10,000 to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber donation will be used to "grow Huntsville," said retired Army Lt. Gen. Jim Link, president of Teledyne Brown Engineering, who accepted the check on behalf of the chamber.

"We have collected over $1 million already and we plan to use the money to identify areas of concern where we can grow," Link said.

Link said other high-tech areas like Austin, Texas, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., have succeeded in diversifying their technology base "and we want to follow suit," he said.

Sugar came to Huntsville and spoke with about 1,000 Northrop Grumman employees about the company's future this morning at the Von Braun Center, he said. "We think our relationship with Huntsville will continue to grow," he said.

Missile defense is a key business area for Northrop Grumman, Sugar said. The Kinetic Energy Interceptor, or KEI, will be developed in Huntsville over the next eight years, Sugar said. The KEI missile will be used to destroy enemy missiles just after launch.

Sugar said his company would have work to perform in Huntsville even if it was just luring in contracts. "Even if we didn't perform any work here, about $21 billion in (government) contracts are issued here; we would have a key presence here just to work with those (agencies) out on Redstone Arsenal," he said.

The company draws in about $28 billion annually in revenue and employs more than 123,000 people in 50 states and 25 countries, Sugar said. Huntsville's expertise in missile defense, complicated weapons systems and software programming will be key to developing the overall program, Sugar said.

Northrop Grumman has about 1,300 employees in the Huntsville area, said Don Winter, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president in charge of mission systems. "Of that, about 600 perform missile defense work here," he said.




Northrop affirms plan for 500 jobs CEO emphasizes commitment to city, donates $25K Tuesday, June 29, 2004 By SHELBY G. SPIRES Times Aerospace Writer shelbys@htimes.com Northrop Grumman Corp.'s chief executive was in Huntsville this morning to underscore the giant defense contractor's commitment to Huntsville by donating $25,000 to local the local chamber of commerce and a technical society. Dr. Ronald D. Sugar, Northrop's president, CEO and chairman, reconfirmed that the company plans to add 500 missile defense jobs here over the next five years. A key, $4.5 billion, eight-year missile defense contract, announced in December, should bring the work to Huntsville, Sugar said during a news conference at The Heritage Club on Washington Street. "We also are here this morning to give back to this community that supports us so well," Sugar said. Sugar presented a $15,000 check to the Huntsville Associations Technical Societies for use in Alabama education programs. The money builds on a $15,000 donation made in 2003, Sugar said. The company also gave $10,000 to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber donation will be used to "grow Huntsville," said retired Army Lt. Gen. Jim Link, president of Teledyne Brown Engineering, who accepted the check on behalf of the chamber. "We have collected over $1 million already and we plan to use the money to identify areas of concern where we can grow," Link said. Link said other high-tech areas like Austin, Texas, and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., have succeeded in diversifying their technology base "and we want to follow suit," he said. Sugar came to Huntsville and spoke with about 1,000 Northrop Grumman employees about the company's future this morning at the Von Braun Center, he said. "We think our relationship with Huntsville will continue to grow," he said. Missile defense is a key business area for Northrop Grumman, Sugar said. The Kinetic Energy Interceptor, or KEI, will be developed in Huntsville over the next eight years, Sugar said. The KEI missile will be used to destroy enemy missiles just after launch. Sugar said his company would have work to perform in Huntsville even if it was just luring in contracts. "Even if we didn't perform any work here, about $21 billion in (government) contracts are issued here; we would have a key presence here just to work with those (agencies) out on Redstone Arsenal," he said. The company draws in about $28 billion annually in revenue and employs more than 123,000 people in 50 states and 25 countries, Sugar said. Huntsville's expertise in missile defense, complicated weapons systems and software programming will be key to developing the overall program, Sugar said. Northrop Grumman has about 1,300 employees in the Huntsville area, said Don Winter, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president in charge of mission systems. "Of that, about 600 perform missile defense work here," he said. Copyright 2004 al.com. All Rights Reserved.